Quick thoughts on Ravens-Chiefs Monday-night tilt
It was not a good night to be a Ravens fan. Or a Ravens player. Or a Ravens somewhat-mild-enthusiast. In short, it was ugly.
There’s a lot to break down from this game, and all of it leads to the Chiefs completely out-playing, out-coaching and generally out-classing the Ravens to the tune of a 34-20 thrashing in front of a handful of fans on Monday Night Football. Let’s take a quick look back on this disaster.
• Andy Reid and his staff absolutely demolished John Harbaugh and his coaches. The Kansas City offense was a blur of movement and misdirection that left Ravens defenders woefully out of position from whistle to whistle, and the Chiefs’ defense seemed to baffle the Ravens blocking plans, time after time. The Ravens needed to run the ball early and often — regardless the fronts they were presented. They did not.
• Patrick Mahomes is just so skilled, and so aware of his surroundings on each and every play — that is a combination that leads to both sustained drives and explosive plays downfield.
• Lamar Jackson was not good. He was bad. He was not helped out by the game plan. He was not helped out by a handful of drops. He was not helped out by the defense being unable to keep the Chiefs under control. All of these things are true. But he is the defending MVP and a transcendent talent. His team needed more from him tonight.
• Matt Skura, Tyre Phillips and Orlando Brown Jr. need to get that 60-percent of the line figured out, and now. (Guys, totally don’t tell them I said that. They’re huge, and I’m quite sure they’re pretty angry right now). This is an issue.
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• Patrick Queen got treated like a rookie tonight, and, guess what? That’s going to happen, particularly against a coach like Reid and a team like the Chiefs. This is a learning opportunity for Queen, and all part of the process. He hung in there and continued to battle, which is a good sign.
• Tyus Bowser was very active. Dude can play.
• Marcus Peters was not at his best tonight, and Jimmy Smith seemed to have his hands full all night. Marlon Humphrey, however, made some nice plays on the ball and had some sure tackles. The safeties were inconsistent on first viewing.
• Devin Duvernay is a weapon. Right now. Not only is he fast, but he squares up and heads straight up field. The Ravens need to get him involved more and more as this season progresses. He brings something aggressive and explosive to the offense.
• In that vein, J.K. Dobbins looks very similar. Let’s move past this “rookie” stuff right now. Get these two guys the ball.
• Mark Andrews did not have a banner game. He had one clear drop, and a few others that a player of his caliber really should have brought in, and any of those catches could have had an impact on the game.
• Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams were active and did a nice job overall. LJ Fort, once again, showed up when given opportunities.
• I’ll be harping about this all week, but I really wanted to see a lot of Pat Ricard and Nick Boyle blowing people up in the run game. Of course, I’d also like a full head of hair and an ATM card that doesn’t laugh at me every time I pull it out of my wallet. We get what we get, am I right?
• In 2000, the Ravens lost a stinker of a game to the Washington Whatchamacallits by a score of 10-3, and the team finished with a grand total of 199 yards of total offense. In 2012, the Ravens got smashed 43-13 to the Houston Texans and 34-17 to the Denver Broncos. The Ravens won the Super Bowl both of those seasons, despite those putrid performances. That doesn’t mean the Ravens will win this year’s Super Bowl, but tonight’s funkalicious showing doesn’t disqualify them, either. It’s early. Calm down.
• Coming into this season, the Ravens’ three biggest concerns were probably edge-rushers, the interior offensive line and play-makers in the receiving corps. The trifecta was in effect tonight.